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Introduction: Cannabis legalisation was enacted on 17 October 2018 in Canada. Accordingly, the effects of cannabis legalisation on patterns of cannabis consumption were examined among adolescents, including on cannabis initiation, any cannabis use, daily cannabis use and cannabis dependence. Methods: Data from a biennial population‐based, cross‐sectional survey of students in Ontario were pooled in a pre‐post design (2001‐2019; N = 89,238). Participants provided self‐reports of cannabis initiation, any cannabis use, daily cannabis use and cannabis dependence. Long‐term trends in these patterns of cannabis consumption over two decades of observation were characterised to provide a broader context of usage. The effects of cannabis legalisation on patterns of cannabis consumption were quantified using logistic regression analyses. Results: Long‐term trends over the two decades of observation indicated that cannabis initiation decreased and then increased (p = 0.0220), any cannabis use decreased and daily cannabis use decreased (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0001, respectively) and cannabis dependence remained unchanged (p = 0.1187). However, in comparisons between the pre‐cannabis legalisation period (2001–2017) and the post‐cannabis legalisation period (2019), cannabis legalisation was not associated with cannabis initiation (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval 1.00; 0.79–1.27), but it was associated with an increased likelihood of any cannabis use (1.31; 1.12–1.53), daily cannabis use (1.40; 1.09–1.80) and cannabis dependence (1.98; 1.29–3.04). Discussion and Conclusions: Cannabis legalisation was not associated with cannabis initiation, but it was associated with an increased likelihood of any cannabis use, daily cannabis use and cannabis dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a public health concern, with important impacts on individuals' mental health. Many people have experienced significant changes to their daily routines due to the pandemic and for some, returning to pre-pandemic routines could create elevated stress. The present study explored factors associated with stress about returning to pre-pandemic routines (SRPR). A web-based, cross-sectional survey of 1,001 Canadian adults aged 18 years and older was conducted on July 9–13, 2021. SRPR was assessed by asking the respondents how much stress they have been feeling about returning to their pre-pandemic routines. Sociodemographic variables, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and COVID-19-related worry were examined in relation to SRPR. Overall, 28.8% of respondents reported moderate to extreme SRPR. After adjusting for covariates, factors associated with elevated SRPR included: younger age (AOR = 2.29, 95%CI 1.30–4.03), higher education (AOR = 2.08, 95%CI 1.14–3.79), being very worried about getting COVID-19 (AOR = 4.14, 95%CI 2.46–6.95), switching to working from home (AOR = 2.43, 95%CI 1.44–4.11), having anxiety (AOR = 5.02, 95%CI 3.19–7.89), feeling depressed (AOR = 1.93, 95%CI 1.14–3.25), and feeling lonely (AOR = 1.74, 95%CI 1.07–2.83). The findings of this study suggest that individuals experiencing mental health concerns (anxiety, feeling depressed, feeling lonely) may be especially likely to feel elevated SRPR and may therefore need additional support in making the transition back to prior routines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A scoping review of studies published in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic focused on individuals with pre-existing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and specified stressor-related disorders, with the objective of mapping the research conducted. Eligibility criteria: (1) direct study of individuals with pre-existing depressive, anxiety, and/or specified stressor-related (i.e., posttraumatic stress, acute stress) disorders/issues; (2) focus on mental health-related pandemic effects, and; (3) direct study of mental health symptoms related to depression, anxiety, or psychological distress. Sources of evidence: Database-specific subject headings and natural language keywords were searched in Medline, Embase, APA PsycInfo, and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) up to March 3, 2021. Review of potentially relevant studies was conducted by two independent reviewers and proceeded in two stages: (1) title and abstract review, and; (2) full paper review. Data charting: Study details (i.e., location, design and methodology, sample or population, outcome measures, and key findings) were extracted from included studies by one reviewer and confirmed by the Principal Investigator. Results: 66 relevant articles from 26 countries were identified. Most studies adopted a cross-sectional design and were conducted via online survey. About half relied on general population samples, with the remainder assessing special populations, primarily mental health patients. The most commonly reported pre-existing category of disorders or symptoms was depression, followed closely by anxiety. Most studies included depressive and anxiety symptoms as outcome measures and demonstrated increased vulnerability to mental health symptoms among individuals with a pre-existing mental health issue. Conclusion: These findings suggest that improved mental health supports are needed during the pandemic and point to future research needs, including reviews of other diagnostic categories and reviews of research published in subsequent years of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recreational cannabis policies are being considered in many jurisdictions internationally. Given that cannabis use is more prevalent among people with depression, legalisation may lead to more adverse events in this population. Cannabis legalisation in Canada included the legalisation of flower and herbs (phase 1) in October 2018, and the deregulation of cannabis edibles one year later (phase 2). This study investigated disparities in cannabis-related emergency department (ED) visits in depressed and non-depressed individuals in each phase. Methods: Using administrative data, we identified all adults diagnosed with depression 60 months prior to legalisation (n = 929 844). A non-depressed comparison group was identified using propensity score matching. We compared the pre–post policy differences in cannabis-related ED-visits in depressed individuals v. matched (and unmatched) non-depressed individuals. Results: In the matched sample (i.e. comparison with non-depressed people similar to the depressed group), people with depression had approximately four times higher risk of cannabis-related ED-visits relative to the non-depressed over the entire period. Phases 1 and 2 were not associated with any changes in the matched depressed and non-depressed groups. In the unmatched sample (i.e. comparison with the non-depressed general population), the disparity between individuals with and without depression is greater. While phase 1 was associated with an immediate increase in ED-visits among the general population, phase 2 was not associated with any changes in the unmatched depressed and non-depressed groups. Conclusions: Depression is a risk factor for cannabis-related ED-visits. Cannabis legalisation did not further elevate the risk among individuals diagnosed with depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video game playing has become a very popular activity among adolescents. Its impact on the mental health and well-being of players is just beginning to be explored. This paper reports on the prevalence of problematic gaming in a representative sample of 2,832 Ontario students in grades 7 to 12. The survey included questions about the school grade, family and school related problems, frequency of video game playing and video game related problems as measured by the Problem Video Game Playing scale (PVP). Most of the students (85%) reported playing video games in the past year and 18.3% reported playing video games daily. Slightly less then 1 in 10 of the students (9.4%) endorsed 5 or more of the PVP items (males 15.1%; females 3.1%). Further research is required to delineate the concept of excessive video game playing, its relation to other addictions, and the impact on adolescents' psychosocial functioning.

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Background: Canadian households experienced unexpected changes in their economic well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent of the impact of the pandemic on household debt and its effect on health and mental health remains unknown. Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the associations of change in household debt due to COVID-19 with serious psychological distress (SPD) and general health measures. Methods: Data were from the 2020 Monitor study, a repeated cross-sectional survey of adults 18 years and older in Ontario, Canada. The 2020 cycle employed a web-based panel survey of 3,033 adults. The survey included measures of change in household debt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mental and general health. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated from logistic regression models accounting for sociodemographic factors. Results: Overall, 17.5% of respondents reported that their household debt increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such an increase in household debt was significantly associated with SPD (OR = 2.92, 95% CI, 2.05–4.16), fair/poor mental health (OR = 2.02, 95% CI, 1.59–2.56), frequent mental distress days (OR = 1.80, 95% CI, 1.31–2.48), fair/poor general health (OR = 1.93, 95% CI, 1.47–2.52), and suicidal ideation (OR = 3.71, 95% CI, 2.41–5.70) after adjusting for potential confounders including education, income and employment. Conclusions: Household debt during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important determinant of health. Individuals who reported an increase in household debt due to COVID-19 were more likely to report serious mental health concerns including suicidal ideation. This suggests that debt-related interventions may be needed to alleviate the adverse effects of indebtedness on health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety and mood disorders (AMD) may be more common among adolescents than previously thought, and epidemiological research would benefit from an easily-administered measure of AMD. We assessed the ability of the GHQ12 to estimate the prevalence of AMD in a representative sample of Ontario adolescents. Data were based on self-administered questionnaires from 3,311 students in grades 7 through 12 derived from the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. The GHQ12 showed good ability to identify probable AMD (AUC = 0.80). A threshold value of 5 appeared optimal, and based on this threshold value, the estimated prevalence of AMD in Ontario students in grades 7-12 may be 19%. Observations that individuals with a self-reported history of family disruption, substance use, gambling problems, bullying victimization, and who reported seeking professional help for a mental health problem were significantly more likely to experience probable AMD provided additional validity.

The objective of this study was to examine differences in psychological distress, service utilization, and prescriptions for medications between adolescents with histories of family involvement with child protective services (CPS) and adolescents without such involvement. Data on 3,497 students were obtained from the 2009 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a province-wide school-based survey of 7th to 12th graders. All analyses adjusted for the complex sample design. Results indicated that individuals who reported histories of family involvement with CPS were more likely to report elevated risk of psychological distress, had a greater number of visits to doctors and other professionals for mental health concerns, and were more likely to have been prescribed medications for depression or anxiety than individuals with no involvement with CPS. These results suggest a need for greater research on service utilization and prescription medications among individuals with histories of family involvement with CPS.

Child maltreatment and substance abuse are both international public health priorities. Research shows that child maltreatment increases the risk for substance use and problems. Thus, recognition of this relationship may have important implications for substance demand reduction strategies, including efforts to prevent and treat substance use and related problems. Latin America and the Caribbean is a rich and diverse region of the world with a large range of social and cultural influences. To date, relatively little work has addressed the link between child maltreatment and substance use in the region. A working group constituted by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in June, 2010 identified this area as a priority area for a multinational research partnership. This paper summarizes existing information on drug use and child maltreatment in six participating countries, Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama and Uruguay, and considers the implications of child maltreatment prevention for demand reduction strategies to address substance use issues. A CICAD/CAMH-sponsored multinational research partnership has been formed, which will involve research on the link between child maltreatment and substance misuse, expertise exchange and resource sharing.

Backgrouond: Research has increasingly identified the perception of school environment as an influential factor in children's lives. There has been sparse research attention, however, on the potential importance of parents' perceptions of school environment on child adjustment. This study examined the relationship between parents' perceptions of school environment and children's emotional and behavioral problems. Methods: Data were derived from the New Canadian Children and Youth Study, a study of the children (aged 4-6 and 11-13) of immigrant parents. Analyses focused on a subsample of Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong Chinese, and Filipino immigrants in a large metropolitan area. Results: Parental perception of school environment was negatively associated with physical aggression in children even after controlling for child age and gender, parental characteristics, family functioning, and aspects of acculturation. In contrast, parental perception was not significantly related to symptoms of emotional distress in children. There were some ethnic differences in perception of school environment. Conclusions: Parental perception of school environment is important to the well-being of the children of immigrant parents, and reinforces the relevance of initiatives to improve the dynamics between parents and schools. (Contains 3 tables.)